Electrical regulator.



A. A. TIRRILL.

ELECTRICAL REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I. 1915.

1,147,576. Patented July 20,1915.

,2 I 17 Z6 20 I3 WITNESSES: INVENTOR ALLEN A.TIRRILL I BY ATTORNEY STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALLEN A. ZTIRB IILL, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA..

ELECTRICAL REGULATOR.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALLEN A. .TIRRILL, a

of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrical Regulators, of which the following is a specification, this application being for the most part a continuation of application, Serial No. 653,010, filed Oct. 5, 1911, and a substiof the kind in which the regulation is effected by adjustment of the field excitation of a dynamo-electric machine.

The single figure of the accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic view of a system of distribution embodying my invention.

A system in connection with which the present invention may be conveniently employed comprises a main generator having an armature 1 that is connected to a suitable distributing circuit 234 and a field magnet winding 5 that is supplied with exciting current from an exciter 6. The exciter is provided with a field magnet winding 7 that is preferably shunt excited, though it may be supplied with current from any other suitable source, and in series with the said field magnet winding is a resistor 8 that is adapted to be shunted by means of coiiperating stationary and movable contact terminals 9 and 10 of a relay 11 constituting a part of the regulator.

The regulator comprises, further, a sta tionary contact terminal 12 that is resiliently mounted, as by being supported upon the end of a plate spring 13, and a coiiperating movable contact terminal 14 that is mounted near one end of a bell crank lever 15. The lever 15 is pivotally supported or fulcrumed upon the lower end of the vertical arm of another bell crank lever 16 and is actuated by an electromagnet 17, the said winding being energized from the circuit 2-34, as, for instance, by being connected through a transformer 18, to theconduct'ors 2 and 3. hen thus connected, it is energized in proportion to the voltage -of thedistributing circuit. The winding 17 is provided with a core 19 that. is pivotally connected to thelever 15 and is partially counter-balanced by Patented July 20,1915.

- Application filed April 1, 1915. Serial No. 18,508.

' an adjustable counterweight 20, the winding j serving when sufficiently ener 'zed to raise citizen of the United States, and a resident g1 the said core. The movements of the core 19 are preferably retarded, as, for instance, by means of a dash pot 21. I The winding 17 serves to vary the distance of the contact term nal 14 from the stationary contact terminal 12 in response to variations of any selected electrical condition of the distributing circuit, which, as illustrated in the drawing, is its voltage.

The lever 16 is actuated so as to move the contact terminal 14 substantially horizontally into and out of engagement with the stationary contact terminal 12 by means of an electromagnet winding 24 having a core 25 that is drawn downwardly in opposition to a spring 27 when the winding 24 is sufliciently energized, the movements of the core ing 24 also receives energy from the distrib--' With respect to the matter of the uting circuit 23-4 through the transformer 18 or in any other suitable manner, and a lamp 33, or any other suitable resistor, is connected in series therewith, the said resistor being adapted to be shunted by means of cotiperating stationary and movable contact terminals 34 and 35 of a relay 36. The relays 11 and 36 are provided with parallelconnected actuating windings 37 and 38, respectively, that receive energy from the exciter or any other suitable" source, and the circuits of which are governed by the contact terminals 12 and 14.

-It will be observed that the construction of the apparatus is such that the contact terminal 14 may be actuated independently by the windings 17 and 24, the said windings both serving to vary the distance of the contact terminal 14 from the terminal 12 in response to variations of an electrical condition of the distributing circuit, and the winding 24 serving in addition to move the contact terminal 14 into and out of engagement with the terminal 12 in accordance i with variations of the degree of its energization,which variations are caused by the ena gagement and disengagement of the relay contact terminals-34 and 35. Inasmuch as the degree of energization of the winding also varies with'the voltage of thev circuit 2-34, it serves-to effect approximate regulation alone. j r

The mode of operation of the regulator will be best understood from a detailed con sideration thereof. When, as illustrated, the contact terminal 14 is out of engagement with the terminal 12, the relay magnet windings 37 and 38 are not energized and, consequently, the contact terminals 9 and 34 do not engage the terminals 10 and 35. The shunt circuit to the resistor 8 is then interrupted and the field excitation and volta e of the exciter are diminished, followe by a diminution of the field excitation and voltage of the main generator. By reason of the reduction of the voltage of, the generator, the windings 17 and 24 are energized to a less degree'and the contact ter-' minal 14 is accordingly moved slightly toward the terminal 12. When the contact terminals 34 and 35 are not in engagement, the resistor 33 is included in. the circuitof the magnet winding 24', with the result that the winding is less strongly energized, and

the spring 27 draws the contact terminal 14 into engagement with the terminal 12. The relay magnet windings 37 and 38 are there upon energized and the relay contact members are brought into engagement. A shunt circuit to the resistor is thus established, with the result that the field excitation and voltage of the exciter are increased, followed by increases of the field excitation and voltage of the main generator. Then, by reason of the greater energization of the windings 17 and 24, the contact terminal 14 is moved slightly away from the terminal 12. Upon engagement of the contact terminals 34 and 35, the resistor 33 is shunted andthe magnet winding 24 becomes more strongly energized, with the result that the contact terminal 14"is thereby moved out of engagement with the terminal 12.

Since the dash pots 21 and 26 'are adjusted so that the windin 24 may actuate the terminal 14 more readily and prom tly than the winding 17, the former windi will effect the a proximate or rough regulation, and the latter winding, cooperating with the former, will effect the final or ac'-- curate regulation. The regulator continues to operate in this manner, the periods of engagement and disengagement of the contact terminals 12 -and 14 varying with the position of the contact terminal 14 as determined by the voltage or any other'selected electrical condition of the distributin circuit, and in such manner that the said electrical condition will be permitted tovary only slightly from a uniform or required value and will be quickly brought to a condition of stability. By' reason of 1 exciter field circuit, and .the regulator is also unaffected in its'operation b commutation troubles of the exciter. it also does not require adjustment for different exciter voltages.

While the regulator has been shown as employed for re lating in accordance with variations of V0 tage or current, it will be readily understood that it may be adapted to meet other requirements and to regulate in accordance with variations of-any other electrical condition of a circuit or s stem without departing from the spirit of t e invention.' The regulator may be employed for regulating direct current machines as well as alternators.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electrical regulator comprising cooperating contact members, a lever for actuating one of said members, a winding for actuating said lever, a second lever having its-fulcrum above that of the'aforesaid lever and providing a fulcrum therefor, and means for actuating the said second lever. 2. An electrical regulator comprising cooperating contact members, a lever for actuating one of said members, a winding for actuating said lever, a second lever having its fulcrum above that of the aforesaid lever and providin a fulcrum therefor, and another winding for actuating the said second lever.

3. An electrical regulator comprising cooperating contact members, a lever for actuating one of said members, a Winding for actuating said'lever, a second lever having its fulcrum above that of the aforesaid lever and providing. a fulcrum therefor, another winding for actuating the said second lever, and means for retarding the movements of the latter lever.

4. An electrical regulator comprisin cooperating contact members, a bell cran lever having a stationary fulcrum, a second lever fulcrumed upon the other and having operating contact members, a lever having a stationary fulcrum, a bell crank lever fulcrumed upon the other lever, one of the contact members being carried by one of the arms of the bell crank lever, and actuating means for each of said levers. p

6. An electrical regulator comprising cooperating contact members, a lever having a substantially vertical arm for actuating one of said members, a second lever also having a substantially vertical arm providing a fulcrum for the aforesaid lever, and actuating means for the said levers.

7. An electrical regulator comprising cooperating contact members, a lever for actuating one of said members, a winding for actuating said lever, a second lever providing a fulcrum for the aforesaid lever, the fulcrum of one lever being located substantially vertically above that of the other, and means for actuating the said second lever.

8. An electrical regulator comprising co' operating contact members, a lever for actuating one of said members, a second leverproviding a fulcrum for the aforesaid lever, the fulcrum of one lever being located substantially vertically above that of the other, and means'for actuating each of said levers.

9. The combination with an'electrical circuit and a dynamo-electric machine, of a regulator for the dynamo-electric machine comprising cooperating contact members, a single winding for causing the said members to engage and disengage and the circuit of which is controlled thereby, and another winding for adjusting the periods of enfgagement of said members in accordance with the variations of an electrical condition of the said circuit, one of said windings varying theposition of the fulcrum of faction of the other upon the contact memers, i

10. The combination with. an electrical circuit, of a regulator comprising cooperating contact members, actuating windings therefor each of-which receives. current from said circuit and the circuit of one of which is controlled by the contact members, and means for retarding the effects of said windings upon the contact members, the retardation of the effect of one windin being greater than that of the other windmg.

11. The combination with an electrical circuit,.of a regulator comprising cooperating contact members, actuating windings therefor each of whichreceives current from said circuit and the circuit of one of which is controlled by the contact members, and means for retarding the effects of said windings u on the contact members, the retardation 0 the effect of the winding the circuit of which is controlled by the contact mem- 12. The combination with an electrical circuit, of a regulator comprising cooperating contact members, two actuating wind:

ings therefor each of which is continuously I energized in proportion to variations of the same electrical condition of said circuit and the circuit of one of which is also controlled by the said contact members.

13. The combination with an electrical circuit, of a regulator comprising cooperating contact members and two actuating windings therefor each of which is continuously energized in proportion to variations of the same electrical condition of said circuit, a resistor in circuit with one of said windings, and a circuit in shunt to said resistor that is controlled by the said contact members.

14. The combination with an electrical circuit, of a regulator comprising cooperating contact members, two actuating windings therefor each of which is continuously energized in proportion to variations of an electrical condition of said circuit and the 'degreeof energization of one of which is also controlled by the contact members independently of their effect upon the electrical condition of the circuit, and means whereby each of the said windings may cause relative movements of the said members independently of the other.

15. The combination with an electrical prising a pair of cooperating contact members, two actuating windings therefor, means whereby each of said windings may cause relative movements of said members independently of the other, a plurality of relays that are controlled by the contact members, one of which in turn controls the circuit of one of the said windings and the remainder of which control the field excitation'of the dynamo-electric machine.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 30th day of March,

ALLEN TIRRILL. 

